Prof Suzy Harris

Research Interests & Expertise

Suzy Harris is Professor of Education at the School of Education, Roehampton University. She is a sociologist of education with research interests in the governance of education and contemporary educational issues to do with curriculum, policy and practice in a globalised world. In her 2007 book, The Governance of Education: how neo-liberalism is transforming policy and practice, she considers the language and discourse of the neo-liberal project in three domains: the school, the community and the university, and illustrates the damaging effect of the dominance of neo-liberal thinking and considers ways in which we can find a release from its grip.

Her current research focus is on the internationalisation of higher education in the UK and Europe, especially Spain where she has strong collaborative links. This work adopts a more philosophical approach to theorising higher education policy and considers issues to do with language and notions of translation. In 2008 she was invited as a visiting Professor to the Departamento de Teoría de la Educación. Facultad de Educación, Universidad de Murcia. She gave several papers in Spanish on the topic of the internationalisation of higher education and the Bologna project. She also presented a paper in Spanish, Traducción y transformación de la Educación Superior, at the VI Congreso Internacional de la Filosofía de Educación, in Madrid, June 2008. Suzy has also published in Spanish on different models of internationalisation, La dimensión internacional de la universidad: entre el modelo económico y el cultural, Estudios Sobre Educación, 015, Diciembre, 87-98, 2008

Suzy is the Editor of the International Studies in Sociology of Education. She is Secretary of the Roehampton Branch of the Philosophy of Education Society Great Britain, and is also on the organising Committee for the 2010 Conference of the International Network of Philosophers of Education (INPE), in Colombia.

Suzy is the Director of the Research Centre in Beliefs, Rights and Values in Education.

PhD Supervision
Suzy Harris supervises PhDs in the broad fields of:

Internationalisation of higher education discourses (UK and Europe)
Higher education policy
Higher education in Spain
Governance of education
Sociology of education
Language and translation issues in comparative research


Selected Publications

Harris, S. (2008) Internationalising the University, Educational Philosophy and Theory, 40 (2) 346-357.

Harris, S. (2008) La dimensión internacional de la universidad: entre el modelo económico y el cultural, Estudios Sobre Educación, 015, Diciembre, 87-98.

Harris, S. (2007) The Governance of Education: how neo-liberalism is transforming policy and practice, Continuum Press.

Harris, S. (1999) Careers Education: contesting policy and practice, Paul Chapman/Sage.

Harris, S. (2008) Internationalising the University, Educational Philosophy and Theory, 40 (2) 346-357.

Harris, S. (2005) Rethinking academic identities in neo-liberal times, Teaching in Higher Education, 10 (4) 421-433.

Harris, S. (2005) Professionals, partnerships and learning in changing times, International Studies in Sociology of Education, 15 (1) 71-86.

Harris, S. (2003) Inter-agency practice and professional collaboration: the case of drug education and prevention, Journal of Education Policy 18 (3) 303-314.

Harris, S. (2002) Modernising Governance: the impact on policy and research communities in the UK, International Studies in Sociology of Education, 12 (3) 321-335

Harris, S. (2000) Curriculum Priorities and Policy Contradictions: getting your heads round drug education, Pedagogy, Culture and Society, 8 (3) 305-321.

Harris, S. (1998) Drugs Education for Whom? Journal of Education for Teaching, 24 (3) 273-284.

Harris, S. (1997) Partnership, Community and the Market in Careers Education and Guidance: conflicting discourses, International Studies in Sociology of Education, 7 (1) 101-119.

Harris, S. (1997) Careers under threat: the position of careers teachers and the National Curriculum in G.Helsby and G.McCulloch (eds) Teachers and the National Curriculum. London, Cassell, 129-144.

Harris, S., Rudduck, J. and Wallace, G. (1996) Political contexts and school careers,
in M. Hughes (ed.), Teaching and Learning in Changing Times, Oxford: Blackwells, 32-50.

Harris, S. and Rudduck, J. (1994) 'School's great - apart from the lessons', in M. Hughes (ed) Perceptions of Teaching and Learning. BERA Dialogues No.8, Clevedon: Multilingual Matters, 35-52.

Wallace, G., Rudduck, J. & HARRIS, S. (1994) Students' experiences of secondary school: research in a climate of 'moving perspectives', in D.Halpin & B.Troyna (eds) Researching Educational Policy: Ethical and Methodological Issues. Social Research and Educational Studies Series: 14, London: Falmer Press, 170-183.

Research Projects Undertaken

Review of Training and Proposals for Arrangements for a National Training Programme for Haemoglobinopathies (£20k, NHS). (Co-author of bid and consultant to the Project Steering Group), 2003.

Evaluation of South East Sheffield Action Zone (SESEAZ). (with J. Nixon and F.
Armstrong), 2001-2. (£10k)

Meeting the Needs of Young People Vulnerable to Substance Misuse (£6k, Home Office/DPAS (Project Director), 2000-1.

Evaluation of Drugs Education within a ‘Family of Schools’ Structure (£56k) Home Office (Project Director), 1996-98.

Evaluation of the use of post-16 destination data in the guidance context: pupil, parent and adviser perspectives, (£10k) DfEE. (Co-director), 1997-8.

Careers Education Revisited: the impact of recent policy on careers education and guidance, Standing Conference in Studies in Education and University General Research Fund, (£1.5k), 1995-6.

Making Your Way Through Secondary School: Students’ Experiences of Teaching and Learning, Innovation and Change in Education: Quality of Teaching and Learning Programme, Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) 1991-5, (£80k). Principal research fellow and co-director with D. Gillborn and J. Rudduck.

LEA Advisers/Inspectors Implicit Criteria for the Judgment of Schools, Economic and Social Science Research Council (ESRC) (with J. Rudduck), 1991-2. (£15k)

School, Training and Work (part of the Youth Cohort Studies) Department of Employment Research and Development (with J. Gray), 1990-1.

Evaluation of South East Sheffield Action Zone (SESEAZ). (with J. Nixon and F.
Armstrong), 2001-2. (£10k)

Meeting the Needs of Young People Vulnerable to Substance Misuse (£6k, Home Office/DPAS (Project Director), 2000-1.

Evaluation of Drugs Education within a ‘Family of Schools’ Structure (£56k) Home Office (Project Director), 1996-98.